DEMOLITION of the building formerly housing the restaurant Los Hermanos in Pollock Pines was under way Feb. 14. The building was destroyed by fire last year, and it is being torn down to build a Family Dollar Store. Democrat photo by Shelly Thorene

New use planned for site of burned Pollock Pines restaurant

The burned out remains of the Los Hermanos restaurant in Pollock Pines are in the process of being removed with plans being made for a retail outlet to take its place.

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The burned out remains of the Los Hermanos restaurant in Pollock Pines are in the process of being removed with plans being made for a retail outlet to take its place.

Evan Bell, who owns the old restaurant building as well as the Pony Express Station Plaza where the building is located, said all the rubble were to be removed by the end of the February.

Bell, who is also the owner and president of Irv Seaver Motorcycles in Orange, said he plans to build a new 8,000-square-foot building where the restaurant once stood. The new tenant will be a Family Dollar Store, which Bell described as being like a mini-Target. He said he hopes to have his new tenant in the building within six to eight months, depending upon how long it takes to get the building permits.

The restaurant, once a popular eating spot, was being operated by Larry Arens until he closed it last July because of the poor economy. On Sept. 20, the attic caught fire and the restaurant burned for several hours before being put out by the El Dorado County Fire Protection District and Cal Fire.

Bell said the building was beyond repair with its estimated value being in excess of a million dollars.

According to reports from the fire department and Bell’s insurance agency, the cause of the fire remains undetermined.

Bell said he has heard different rumors about what caused the fire but believes the most likely cause was transients living in the building. “That’s the most credible explanation,” he said, saying that even after the fire, transients were seen going in and out of the building.